


stop the clock

by iwishihadariver (youcarrymeaway)



Category: Dash & Lily (TV), Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Epilogue, F/M, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Post-Canon, Real Life, of sorts, school is coming and Lily is worried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28032477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcarrymeaway/pseuds/iwishihadariver
Summary: Lily is worried that their new relationship won't survive their normal lives. Dash, surprisingly, has a little bit more faith than she does. (Post-canon)
Relationships: Dash/Lily (Dash & Lily)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	stop the clock

It’s January 6th, and Dash is enjoying the quiet of his father’s empty apartment.

Lily lays with her head propped in his lap, her brows knitted in concentration as she carefully works on her latest crochet project. He knows that it’s a scarf for him, but whenever he asks she stubbornly refuses to admit to it. He’ll let her have her secret for a little while longer.

He’s absently running his hand through her hair, and the TV is on, playing some mindless game show. All Christmas programming had ended quite abruptly on January 2nd, much to Lily’s dismay. So they were forced to find other sources of background entertainment.

In the approximately five days that he’s been dating Lily, Dash has felt a kind of wonder that he isn’t sure he ever has before.

He _knows_ its cliche; some might even call him ridiculous for saying such a thing. But he can't help the true fact that Lily is more than just some girlfriend to him. She, and their relationship together, is special.

She sees the world as a beautiful place - a place worth exploring and experiencing. He's always preferred the world that's created in books, but he's starting to realize that the real one might have some good things to offer, after all.

Her vulnerability and ability to express genuine emotion make him want to open up more - not just to her, but to others in his life, too.

She just generally makes him a better person.

She's also tons of fun to spend time with.

Lily had told her family that she and Dash were out exploring the city today, but what they had really decided to do was lounge around his dad’s apartment. As much as he and his dad now have a more grudging acceptance of one another, that didn’t mean that he was suddenly around way more.

Lily had admitted with a blush that her parents would probably not be thrilled with her if they knew where she really was, despite the fact that it was completely innocent. He’d laughed but agreed to go along with it, not wanting her parents to have any reason whatsoever to dislike him.

He’s a bit surprised when she suddenly speaks up.

“What do you think it will be like?”

He frowns, confused by this non-sequitur. “What?”

“What it will be like,” she repeats unnecessarily. “You know, when we go back to school on Monday.”

He still doesn’t quite understand. “I mean, it’ll suck, since I won’t get to see you as much. Also, high school is the worst.”

Lily still doesn’t look up at him, fixated on her knitting. A deep line creases her forehead.

“But you’ll still, like, want to see me?”

Bewildered, he scoffs. “Of course I will, what are you even talking about?”

Lily heaves a sigh, and shoves herself up so that she’s sitting next to him, their shoulders pressed together.

“I mean, like, this whole thing,” she gestures vaguely at his dad’s apartment around them, “has been pretty holiday-centric, and I just wonder…” Her shoulders seem to slump and she gives him a gloomy look. “I don’t know. It all just seems to good to be true.”

He feels his heart swell. His poor, sweet girl.

“Lily,” he says, calmly, “I’m not going to dump you after we go back to school. I _like_ you. So much.”

A tiny smile appears on her face.

With a sigh, Lily presses her head against his shoulder. “I like you, too,” she whispers. “But I’m scared.”

He really hasn’t spent any time thinking about how going back to school will affect their relationship, but he’s completely sincere when he replies, “Me, too.”

She peeks up at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, a little. But I'm only scared because I like you so much. And I don't want to lose you."

“So what do we do about it?”

He hums thoughtfully.

“Do you have any more of those red notebooks?”

She looks at him, guarded. “You know I do.”

“Well,” he shrugs. “What if we passed notes in class, using the notebook?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “How would that even work? We go to two different schools that are like, eight miles apart.”

He slides his arm around her to pull her closer to him. “We could trade off who has it every few days. When we do see each other. We'll write whatever comes to mind in the moment, and it will be fun to read it and write responses. It'll feel just like old times."

She seems to ponder this idea. “I like it,” she says slowly.

He studies her, before letting out a huff. “But you’re still not convinced.”

Lily throws her hands up defensively. “I’m sorry, I just…” Her lip trembles and her eyes grow shiny. “What if the magic’s all gone?”

“Look at me, Lily,” he says firmly.

Her head turns towards him, her gaze uncertain.

“I know Christmas and the holidays are magical to you,” he says. “But they’re not the only things that are like that.”

He takes her face in his hands and presses his forehead to hers.

“We are like that, too. You and me? We are the magic. Okay?”

He kisses her then, to prove his meaning. If his words don’t convince her, maybe his actions will.

The kiss is slow and soft, and he can feel her sink into it with a soft sigh that sends a shockwave of warmth through his body.

“See?” he murmurs as he pulls away slightly.

“You are a very persuasive person,” she replies breathlessly.

He beams. “Do you believe me now?”

Lily takes a deep breath, before she nods, resolutely. “I do.”

“Took you long enough,” he grumbles affectionately as he tucks her back into his side.

Lily’s phone, which lays on the coffee table in front of them, begins to buzz incessantly. The name appears on screen; it's Langston.

“You should probably get that,” he advises. “He might be getting suspicious.”

Lily groans, but swipers her phone from its perch anyway and accepts the call.

“Hey, Langston.” Her eyes widen at something her brother says on the other line, and she stammers, “Oh, Dash and I will be back at 5, the movie just ended a few minutes ago.”

Dash muffles his snort into her hair.

There's a pause as Langston speaks on the other end of the call.

“See you soon, bye Langston.”

When she hangs up, she gives him a look. “He knows we didn’t see a movie. Also you’re invited to dinner.”

His face blanches. “He _what_?”

Lily giggles, the musical sound making his heart do a particularly stupid flip. “Don’t worry, he won’t say anything. He said as long as I was able to answer his call he would let it slide. Since if I’m able to answer a call, I’m obviously not - “

“Oh my god, please do not continue,” he said, his face flaming.

Lily threw herself into his lap, still laughing. “I bet Langston can’t wait until break is over, so that he knows for a fact we won’t be hanging out as much.”

“Too bad we’ll have to disappoint him,” he muses, pressing a kiss to her hairline.

She buries her head in his neck. “He’ll have to get over it, now won’t he?”

“He sure will,” he agrees, before leaning down to kiss her again, one last time before they have to leave.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments make me happier than Lily on Christmas. Thank you for reading!


End file.
